Potato-harvester



G. W. WISEMAN.

POTATO HARVESTER.

APPLICATION nuzn ms. 19. 1920.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

' tudinal section,

PATENT OFFICE.

GOODWIN W. WISEMAN, 0F WATERVILLE,

AND NATHANIEL H. BAR-ROWS,

MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO DOMINICK M. SUSI BOTH OF WATERVILLE, MAINE.

POTATO-HARVESTER.

Application filed February 19, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GOODWIN W. WISE- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at aterville, in the county of Kennebec and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cleaners and graders for potatoes, and has for its object to provide a device used in the rear of and in conjunction with a potato digger, for further separating the potatoes from adhering soil and grading the cleaned potatoes and depositing them in a plurality of receptacles according to grade.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device having improved means for automatically clearing and cleaning its own parts, thereby relieving itself from congestion and obstruction.

With these and other objects in view, the device comprises certain novel units, elementsand parts and their combinations as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which are made a part hereof, and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Figure 1 is a view of the device in longi- Fig. 2 is a view. of the device in top plan, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

The improved'cleaner and grader which forms the subject matter of this application comprises side rails 10 supported upon an axle 11, which at one end is elongated and carries the supporting wheel 12 with a supporting wheel 13 at the opposite end. The elongated end at the axle is provided with any approved means as the series of perforations 14 for adjusting the wheel 12 to differently spaced rows.

At its forward end the device is provided with a yoke 15 extending across from rail to rail and downwardly to the truck 16. The truck 16 comprises an axle 17 and bearing wheels 18. The truck 16 is pivoted to the yoke 15 whereby steering of the cleaner and grader may be accomplished when the grader and cleaner is attached in the rear of the potato digger A. The attaching 1s by means Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920. Serial No. 360,002.

of a tongue 19 attached providing thereby the steering the parts.

Upon the structure comprising the side ra ls 10 shafts 21 and 22 are journaled, carrying sprockets 23 and 24 respectively, over which pass chains 25. The. chains 25 receive motion through the sprocket 26 secured upon the shaft 21 and engaging the sprocket chain 27, which passes about a sprocket 28, carried rigidly by and rotating with the traction wheel 13. A tiglitener sprocket 29 is also provided, mounted upon a shaft 30, journaled' in bearing blocks 31 which slide in slots 32 and are controlled by screws 33.

Mounted also upon the side bars 10 are a plurality of bars 34 mounted to swing upon links 35. The bars 34 carry pins 36 upstanding therefrom and bearing upon their upper ends slats 37 and 38, the difference being only to the digger at 20, necessary joints for in length, the slats 38 being shorter than the slats 37 The slats 37 and 38 alternate, and throughout the major portion of their lengths form a grid of such mesh as to pre vent falling therethrough of potatoes of any desired size but to permit the discharge therefrom and therethrough of dirt and like material. One of the bars corresponding to the bars 34 indicated at Fig. 3 as 34, instead of having the swinging links 35 at each end, at one end is connected to a lever 39 pivoted to swing upon a vertical pivot indicated at 40. The several bars 34 and 34, together with the slats 37 and 38, are given a longitudinal reciprocating motion by means of a crank 140 carried upon the shaft 41 and actuated by a sprocket chain 42 from the sprocket 43, rotating also with the wheel 13. The crank 140 is connected by means of a link 44 with one of the bars 34 and by reason of the slats 37 and 38 connecting all of the bars 34 and 34, all are oscillated upon the links 35 si multaneously. The oscillation of the bars 34 and the reciprocation of the slats 37 and 38 by reason of the lever 39, causes a lateral agitation of the bar 34 and the slats 37 and 38 locally at each reciprocation. As will be noted, there is but one of these bars 34 shown, but it is to be understood that any desired number may be employed.

The chains 25 are provided with flights 45, hearing substantially upon the top of the slats 37 and 38 and provided with normally depending fingers 46 traveling between the slats 37 and 38 for cleaning the intervals from any obstructions.

For properly conveying and guiding the potatoes discharged from the digger A onto the grid, a chute comprising the two numhere as shown at 47 is provided, this being the usual, and ordinary discharge chute found upon some types of potato diggers, and forming no part of the present invention nor in any way associated therewith except to discharge the potatoes upon the device which is the present invention. It has heretofore been noted that the slats 38 are shorter than the slats 37, and it will be noted that at the rearward or upper end of the cleaner the slats 38 form spaces through which the smaller potatoes may drop onto the deck 48 and be guided thereby through the chute 49'intoa receptacle 50. The larger potatoes are carried over the ends of the slats 37 by the bars 45 and are dumped into the hopper 51, discharged through the chute 52 into the receptacle 53 and carried on the platform 54. Any approved means, as the bail 55, may be employed for retaining the receptacle 53 in position. Along the side of the device and between the side rail and the wheel 12 a running board 56 is. provided upon which stands a man who, reaching over the device, manually removes from the grid vines, stones, or other extraneous matter.

the grid, carry tion through Also to support the chains 25 intermediate their extremities and to take the weight off from the grid, brackets 57 are provided with deflectors 58 reglstering therewith above the chains.

In operation the cleaner and grader is attached in the rear of the digger as shown more particularly at Fig. 1 and follows. after such digger as it is drawn in digging ope-rathe field. The potatoes discharged over the upper rear end of the digger, together with the vines, adhering dirt and other extraneous matter are dis-' charged upon the grid. The chains 25, carrying cross bars 45, traveling upon and over the potatoes along such grid which is subjected to agitation from oscillating-upon the bars 34 and also to the transverse agitation from the link 39. This agitation releases dirt from the potatoes not released by the-digger mechanism and alsosubjects the material to manipulation by a man standing upon the running board 56, the vines and other materials being thrown manually to one side as the device progresses. Upon passing over the upper ends of the shorter slats 38 the small potatoes fall between the longer slats 37 upon the deck 48 and are conveyed to the receptacle 50, the larger potatoes continuing to be dumped into the hopper 51 to be discharged into the receptacle 56.

The supporting of the slats 37 and 38 upon the pins 36 raise such slats. above their supporting cleaning of the intervals between the slats manually and also by the traveling fingers 46 so that the grid is at all times kept open and ready for use.

Having thus fully described my: saidinsecure by Letters Patent, is: r r

1. In a potato cleaner and grader, a grid,

2. In a potato cleaner and grader, a

bars 34, permitting the proper 'vention, what I claim as new and desire to i 7 5 means to produce uniform agitation of theframe, a grid suspended from the frame and adapted to be oscillatedabout the points of suspension, a' traveling conveyer passing over and along the grid and means carried by the conveyer forcleaning the: grid. 7

3. In a potato cleaner and grader, a grid comprisingspaced slats, alternate slats be ing elongated,a conveyer passing over and along the slats, said conveyer provided with flights having, mounted on their under sides, depending fingers positioned to move between the spaces; of said slatsand receiving members independently provided beneath the grid at the pointiof interruptionof the slats; a

4. In. a potato cleaner and grader, a' grid comprising slats' adapted: to oscillate uniformly-throughout their entire lengths, alternate slats being longer than the intermediate slats, providingthereby a passage for potatoes between the longer slats, deck positioned to receivethe said potatoes and provided with a chute for grinding them from the deck, and a discharge chute positioned at the end of the longer slats and adapted to provide a passage for such potatoes as were not discharged through the first mentioned passage, and an endless conveyer traveling over and along the slats for advancing the potatoes; v V

5. In a' potato cleanerand grader, a grid comprising spaced slats, alternate slats being longer than the intermediate slats, an endless conveyer traveling over and along the slats,*receiving means disposed beneath that portionof the slats where the intermediate slats are omitted, and other receiving means disposed at the ends ofthe slats uniform throughout its entirety.

6. In a potato cleaner and grader, agrid "1 20 and means to produce agitation of the grid comprising spaced slats supported upon pins for producing uniform oscillation through out the length of the slats. r

7. In a potato cleaner and grader, a

frame a grid comprising spaced slats, supporting bars located beneath the slats and pivotally suspended from the frame, pins upstanding from the bars engaging the under edges of the slats, a conveyer moving along the surface of the grid, means to apply oscillating motion to the bars to agitate the grid independently of the conveyor, and cleaners carried by the conveyor introduced between the slats.

8. In a potato cleaner and grader, a frame, bars pivotally suspended from the frame and carrying upstanding supporting pins, slats secured to the upper ends of the pins, means for rocking the bars in the arc of a circle whose centers are the points of suspension of the bars, an endless chain provided with flights bearing substantially upon the tops of the slats and provided with normally depending fingers traveling between the slats for cleaning the intervals from obstructions, and supporting brackets secured to the frame and adapted to support the endless chain.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal atWashington, D. 0., this 18th day of February, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty.

' GOODWIN W. WISEMAN. [1 s.]

Witnesses:

E. W. BRADFORD, V E. K. REICHENBACH. 

